Ghosts
by Smeagolia
Summary: Fred and George decide to play a little Halloween prank...


**Written for the ****_Holiday Spirit: HALLOWEEN Boot Camp_**

**Prompt: Ghost**

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**NOTE: In this story you'll read about an Ouija board. For those of you who don't know what that is, I added this little note to clear things up. **

**An Ouija Board is a wooden board painted with the letters of the alphabet, numbers 0-9, the words yes and no, and good bye. The Ouija board is used to contact ghosts with a planchette or pointer, which everyone puts their finger on. The ghost is supposedly supposed to move the planchette around the board to spell out the answers to questions people ask. There is no solid proof that these actually work, but I thought it would be fun to write about. Enjoy!**

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Fred and George snickered to each other as they waited outside the muggle's door. George jabbed the doorbell again.

"How long does it take to open a door!?" George complained, shifting the paper bag in his arms. Fred couldn't stop grinning, his blue eyes sparkling with mischievous anticipation. Finally squint-eyed face with a permanent smirk appeared in the window. The twins heard the shift of a lock and the door creaked open.

A muggle boy about their age stood in the door. "Fred, George! So you came! Did you bring it? Do you think we'll talk to ghosts? My mom made hot chocolate and I already set up the attic." His voice was lazy and uncaring. Henry Hally was rumored to be the most two faced muggle boy on the street. According to the local gossip, he was a charm to adults but his favorite hobby was terrorizing little kids. Fred and George had decided to teach him a lesson, and have a little fun while they're it.

Fred and George exchanged a sly grin behind the boy's back as they followed him inside. Henry grabbed a mug off the kitchen counter and gestured for the twins to each take one too. He led them into the garage and pulled open a creaky wooden door. Inside was a narrow rickety staircase, lit only by a bare light bulb dangling from the ceiling. By habit, Fred reached into his jacket to pull out his wand to light the way, but quickly stopped himself. Henry stomped up the stairs, glancing behind him at the twins ever so often.

"Here we are!" He said. George surveyed the scene with mock criticism, setting the bag on a dusty old chest.

"I suppose it will do." He said, hands on his hips. The attic was dimly lit, the only source of light a couple of light bulbs and a dirty grimy window. The floor was wooden, and squeaked horribly when you walked, and rotted through completely in some spots. Old stained furniture painted with sticky cobwebs were shoved to the walls, leaving the floor bare in the middle, except for a lone mouse scampering across the room. Everything had a brown, washed out look. It was a perfect setting for "contacting ghosts."

George pulled the Ouija board from the bag and set it carefully on the floor while Fred set four scented candles at the corners and struck a match. Henry sat lazily on the moth-eaten couch.

"Alright now, ready everyone?" George asked, sitting back on his heels. Fred pulled his jacket tighter around him, fingering his wand beneath the fabric. "I'm ready!" He said, winking at his brother. Henry stood up. "Yep."

Now remember we must remain as quiet and still as possible during the session, we don't want to anger the spirit and make him take over our brains, now do we?" Henry rolled his eyes.

The three boys fell into a hush, each placing a finger lightly on the planchette. George spoke out in an ominous voice,

"If there is a spirit in the room, we wish to speak with you. We mean no harm; we just wish to ask you some questions. If you are with us, please respond." There was a long heavy silence. Henry shivered involuntarily.

A solid minute passed. George glanced at Fred out of the corner of his eye. Fred raised an eyebrow a millimeter and George inclined his head. Very slowly, Fred turned his wand towards the stairs and edged the tip just out his jacket.

"_Crepitus,_" He breathed, and to oblivious Henry it sounded like nothing more than an exhaled breath. A loud creak like a heavy footstep on the rickety stairs followed soon after, and the twins' snickers were drowned out by Henry's gasp. Struggling to keep a straight face, Fred gave Henry a disapproving look and put a finger to his lips, jabbing a finger at the planchette.

Henry frowned as his wide eyes followed the planchette's movement to the across the alphabet painted on the board. "A ghost is talking to us," He whispered, and Fred bit his lip to keep from laughing, watching the tip of his brother's wand skillful magic the planchette across the board.

It made its way painfully slowly to each letter, spelling out a word. H… e… l… l… o… George gave Henry a meaningful look once it had stopped, mouthing for him to ask the "ghost" a question.

Henry took a deep breath, "Hello uh, ghost. Um, uh do you live uh in my house?" George forced a straight face as he whispered a spell under his breath. The planchette edged towards anther letter. I… long pause. L… i… v… e… pause. I… n… pause. Y… o… u… r… pause. Henry sucked in air loudly. R… o… o… m…

Henry made a choking sound similar to that of a cat coughing up fur balls. "Are you guys sure your not moving it?" He whispered. The twins shook their head vigorously, lifting their fingers for a second from the board, and the planchette twitched. Fred turned his head away to grin, tapping his knuckles just the tiniest bit to George's hand on the ground in a miniscule fist bump. George cleared his throat.

"So, _ghost,_ do you like hot chocolate?" George asked. Henry was too busy watching the planchette spell out "yes" to see the twins exchange a wink. Fred muttered another charm and Henry's mug of hot chocolate wobbled of it's own accord, lifting up into the air scarcely a centimeter before falling back in place with a clunk. The only sign that it ever moved was the liquid sloshing gently inside.

Henry's eyes bugged out and he squeaked, edging as far as he could from his drink without climbing over Fred's lap. George whispered a warning urgently, "You mustn't make to much movement or noise. Just stay calm and we'll be safe. The ghost doesn't seem upset just yet." Henry paled a shade more at "upset _just_ _yet_."

Fred straightened; making sure his wand was carefully hidden beneath his jacket then spoke his question. "How long have you been living in Henry's room?" Henry bit his lip so hard a drop of blood pooled on the edge as he awaited an answer. There was a long pause, the only noise in the room the heavy breathing of the tree boys. The planchette twitched, then began another journey across the Ouija board.

Henry whispered the words as they surfaced, "I've… lost… count…" There was a long pause as if the "ghost" was thinking, then the planchette moved again. Henry continued whispering, his voice going up an octave, "I… could… use… some… company…"

George coughed loudly to disguise his laughter. Fred gasped dramatically. He jerked his chin at Henry. "Ask another question." He whispered. Henry licked his lips, staring down at the planchette beneath his finger.

"Are you going to take over my brain?" He squeaked. He waited with bated breath as the planchette spelled out the "ghost's" answer. D… o… pause. Y… o… u… pause. W… a… n… t… pause. M… e… pause. T… o… o…

Henry licked his lips again. "N-no!" He cried. Fred snickered. The planchette moved again. Henry murmured the ghost's words as they were written.

"I… had… a… host… body… until… you… decided… you… didn't… want… a… fish…" There was a long moment of silence, finally interrupted when the planchette scraped across the board. "What… did… you… do… with… Mr.… Bubbles…."

Henry stuttered in fright. "W-was M-mr. Bubbles you h-h-host body?" The "ghost" spelled out yes. Henry gulped. "I'm sorry, er, Mr. er Ghost. I-I – It wasn't my fault! My brother, he – he let him go in the bathtub and Mr. Bubbles went down the drain! I swear! I'm sorry! Please!" Henry cried, tears pricking his eyes.

George leaned closer to his twin. "Time to bring it on home." He whispered out of the corner of his mouth. Fred nodded solemnly.

"You… should've… protected… him… better…" George whispered as the planchette moved, faking awe and horror. He poked his wand out of his jacket. CRASH!

Henry swung around, yanking his finger from the planchette. He screamed when he saw the broken vase, clay and glass littering the floor. He turned to the twins, eyes as bg as dinner plates. "End it now." His voice wobbled. "End it."

Fred nodded and spoke out forebodingly. "Thank you for your time, spirit. Good bye, you may go." He quickly blew out the candles. At that exact moment, George flicked his wand and the light bulbs went out.

"GHOST!" Henry shrieked, scrambling to his feet and charging down the stairs, taking the steps three at a time.

The twins laughed. "Mission accomplished." Fred grinned, bumping fists with his brother.


End file.
